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<br />....v.,.... <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />Secondly, there is the matter of account- <br />ing in the Lower Basin. In reviewing figures <br />we find that the state of Arizona is using <br />approximately 7 million acre-feet of water from <br />the Gila River basin. A good part of this is <br />simply overdraft on pumping. The pumping in <br />Arizona last year, in the state, was a little <br />less than 5 million acre-feet. The surface <br />diversions were somewhere in the neighborhood <br />of two million acre-feet. We feel that there <br />has been no proper mention in the Pacific <br />Southwest Water Plan as to how the accounting <br />for water is to be made in the Lower Basin. <br />We do ~9t see them charged with reservoir <br />evaporation, for instance, although we are <br />being chargedwit~ reservoir evaporation auto- <br />maticallY in the Upper Basin. There is certain <br />water being delive~e4. in the Lower Basin to <br />squ~tters along the colorado River which show <br />in the report as 'unaccounted for river losses' <br />to the extent of about 200,000 acre-feet <br />annually. Again we say that someone has to <br />account for that water, that it has to be <br />charged to some Lower Basin state. <br /> <br />I <br /> <br /> <br />,~ <br /> <br />Those were the major points that we feel <br />must be considered in any legislation to <br />authorize the Pacific Southwest Water Plan. <br />We ,ar.e, at a. loss as to exactly how to approach <br />the. legislation in view of getting the neces- <br />sary safeguar([~ :for t.he upFO>.: o..c; no" ....-01>\ennbor_ <br />ing that Arizona helped us_~remendously in <br />getting the Colorado River Project authorized <br />as did many of the Congressmen and Senators <br />from the State of California. We have re- <br />ceivedhelp consistently from those states on <br />mo~tof our projects, and we are in no position <br />to'teil .. thezll, that we are against a project of <br />theirs. aut.we feel that we, must have safe- <br />guards as .far as the accounting of the Gila <br />River 'andtheLower Basin tributaries are con- <br />cerned. <br /> <br />The Gover,no.rs were pretty well unified in <br />that opiri1o!l:. The problem now. is to answer the <br />Secretary and.explain to him our position. <br />